Studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of scopolamine, absorbed through intact skin, in preventing motion sickness at sea. Efficacy of transdermal scopolamine was compared with oral dimenhydrinate and placebo. Transdermal applications were made 4 to 16 hr before exposure to motion. Dimenhydrinate or placebo was given 1.5 hr before motion and again 2.5 hr after motion began. Comparison with placebo indicated that transdermal scopolamine provided protection against motion sickness at a significance level of p = 0.0001 and oral dimenhydrinate at a level of p = 0.05. Dry mouth, drowsiness, and blurred vision associated with transdermal scopolamine therapy were minimal.
\s=b\Twelve healthy subjects received seven-day treatments on a randomized, double-blind, crossover basis, of a transdermal scopolamine system, oral meclizine, and placebo, separated by one-week intervals. Just prior to each treatment, and on days 1 and 7 of each treatment, subjects received two warm (44 \ s=deg\ C)caloric irrigations of each external auditory canal. Following each irrigation, subjects rated their vertigo symptoms. Subjects reported on their side effects daily throughout each treatment period. Vertigo symptoms on day 1 of treatment were significantly less with transdermal scopolamine than oral meclizine or placebo and on day 7 were significantly less with both scopolamine and meclizine than the placebo. On day 1, meclizine did not reduce vertigo symptoms significantly when compared with the placebo. Drowsiness was greater with use of oral meclizine than transdermal scopolamine. (Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1986;112:88-91)
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